Of all the positive trends we see in the football program, one of the least-acknowledged initiatives is the program's re-introduction to Canada. Awesome to have Patrick Davis, Matthew Bergeron, Tyrell Richards and Geoff Cantin-Arku already in the program and thrilled to have at least one more coming next fall (Ben Labrosse).
Why did SU ignore Canada from about the mid-90s until the last three years? Laziness? Cultural barriers? Not sure.
Think about this ... just did a quick search (granted via Wiki, so consider the source):
There have been 143 Canadian-born NFL players all-time.
66 of those 143 (46%) entered the NFL since 1995.
And Syracuse University, which is essentially crowned by Toronto (9th biggest population in North America) to the northwest and Montreal (20th largest) to the northeast, has had none of those since Glen Young walked off campus in 1992 (en route for the NFL).
This has to change, and it appears that it just might be, thanks to Dino. In hindsight, what a colossal whiff on the part of Coach P, Robinson, Marrone and Shafer. And shame on the ADs and recruiting coordinators for not asking more questions.
I don't live in Canada, but I used to and people up there love football just like we do. Football in Canada is not anything to scoff at and I think as a whole, our neighbors to the north are learning that there is more to "sport" than hockey. Just look at how far hoops have come in the last 25 years (Devin Brennan-McBride notwithstanding). JAB has figured this out.
Lastly, I sense that Ousmane Bary, who I gather coaches at McGill, can have a heavy say in player/talent identification and ultimately just what our Orange can accomplish in Ontario and Quebec. So, here's to Bary and more True Patriot Love for our Orange(men)!
Why did SU ignore Canada from about the mid-90s until the last three years? Laziness? Cultural barriers? Not sure.
Think about this ... just did a quick search (granted via Wiki, so consider the source):
There have been 143 Canadian-born NFL players all-time.
66 of those 143 (46%) entered the NFL since 1995.
And Syracuse University, which is essentially crowned by Toronto (9th biggest population in North America) to the northwest and Montreal (20th largest) to the northeast, has had none of those since Glen Young walked off campus in 1992 (en route for the NFL).
This has to change, and it appears that it just might be, thanks to Dino. In hindsight, what a colossal whiff on the part of Coach P, Robinson, Marrone and Shafer. And shame on the ADs and recruiting coordinators for not asking more questions.
I don't live in Canada, but I used to and people up there love football just like we do. Football in Canada is not anything to scoff at and I think as a whole, our neighbors to the north are learning that there is more to "sport" than hockey. Just look at how far hoops have come in the last 25 years (Devin Brennan-McBride notwithstanding). JAB has figured this out.
Lastly, I sense that Ousmane Bary, who I gather coaches at McGill, can have a heavy say in player/talent identification and ultimately just what our Orange can accomplish in Ontario and Quebec. So, here's to Bary and more True Patriot Love for our Orange(men)!
